Winter Storm — Southern Erie, Pennsylvania

2019-11-11 to 2019-11-12 · Southern Erie, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

On November 10, weak low pressure developed across the Upper Midwest, extending a cold front from the Rockies towards the Upper Great Lakes. As the cold front progressed eastward across the Ohio Valley, a secondary low pressure system developed along the front in the Tennessee Valley and tracked northeast, reaching southwest Pennsylvania on the evening of November 11. Meanwhile, a high pressure system from the north brought an arctic air mass down into the central United States behind the cold front. With the cold front, precipitation first fell as rain on November 11 throughout much of Northwest Pennsylvania before changing over to snow as arctic air began to surge into the region. A widespread 3 to 10 inches of snow fell across Northwest Pennsylvania with this synoptic event for a brief period from late November 11 to early November 12. A maximum total of 11.5 inches of snow fell in Greene Township. Other selected storm totals include: 11 inches in Colt Station, 10 inches in Greenfield Township, 8.5 inches in Corry, 7.5 inches in Wattsburg, 7 inches in North East Township and Union City.

Wider weather episode

On November 10, weak low pressure developed across the Upper Midwest, extending a cold front from the Rockies towards the Upper Great Lakes. As the cold front progressed eastward across the Ohio Valley, a secondary low pressure system developed along the front in the Tennessee Valley and tracked northeast, reaching southwest Pennsylvania on the evening of November 11. Meanwhile, a high pressure system from the north brought an arctic air mass down into the central United States behind the cold front. With the cold front, precipitation first fell as rain on November 11 throughout much of Northwest Pennsylvania before changing over to snow as arctic air began to surge into the region. A widespread 3 to 10 inches of snow fell across Northwest Pennsylvania with this synoptic event for a brief period from late November 11 to early November 12. A maximum total of 11.5 inches of snow fell in Greene Township. Erie International Airport reported a total of 5.5 inches of snow for the duration of the event. Other selected storm totals include: 11 inches in Colt Station, 10 inches in Greenfield Township, 8.5 inches in Corry, 7.5 inches in Wattsburg, 7 inches in North East Township, Union City, and Girard.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 866587. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.